Beer: Reviews & Ratings

330 mL bottle from a sampler pack picked up at the LCBO; best before June 23 2016. Served slightly chilled, and poured into a goblet.

Pours a dark, cloudy ruby-copper colour, with one finger of creamy, persistent, off-white coloured head seated atop. It seeps away quite slowly, caking the glass with lacing as it gradually recedes into a dense, half-cm cap and foamy collar. The aroma is rather rich in fruity, yeasty esters, including hints of raisin, prune, black cherry and fig. Hints of candi sugar and bubble gum also contribute, giving this beer a highly dessert-like vibe on the nose.

The flavour is mildly saccharine, but a little too subdued for my liking; not as fruity as the aroma suggested. Brown sugar and grainy, bready malt sweetness kick things off, followed up with dates, raisin, banana and some figgy notes mid-sip. Finishes somewhat earthy, with faint clove spice and banana/fig fruitiness lingering into the aftertaste. Medium-bodied, with below average carbonation for the style - very smooth and creamy-feeling in the mouth, but it lacks the crisp, bubbly feel on the palate that I crave from BSDAs.

Final Grade: 3.76, a B+. Leute Bokbier isn't bad, but it simply does not have the assertive, complex flavour profile and lively mouthfeel that I have come to expect from Belgian dark ales. The saccharine, dried fruit flavours and bready malt backbone are both agreeable enough to make this worth trying once - but it's still not something I'd seek out, or recommend as a good example of the style. A decent inclusion in this sampler that I'll probably forget about within a week or two. (1,616 characters)

Poured from bottle. Aroma is quite mild, a bit of malt and earthy. Pours a dark red. Has a mild bitter taste. Medium body, thin texture, soft carbonation, with a slight bitter finish. It is an ok beer, but I like other Belgian Ales more. (242 characters)

Strong, full smell, like fresh coffee grains. Dark chocolate foam, not bitter, not sweet, just as it should be. Strong taste but easily drinkable in any time of year. Mild fruit aftertaste, some caramel powder in small amounts. One word, rich and extravagant, must try, and must have. (284 characters)

Pours muddy dark brown, copper up in the light, small beige head that goes away almost on the spot, leaving bubbly "islands" and a thin lacing.Smell is pretty weak, some dark malts, low dark fruit, really earthy.Taste starts with toasted dark bread, grains (spicy rye?) and burnt sugar. Dark fruity esters bring some red apple acidity, some zesty citrus and dark grapes and a faint sour cherry note. Belgian yeasts show themselves, with woody nutmeg and cinnamon, some mild minty herbs (sage, coriander) and faint clove. Mild bitterness in the finish, but there's a big clunky breadiness covering it and going into the aftertaste.Medium body and carbonation, has a certain crispness from start to finish that's a bit numbing, reducing the effect of the other flavours, and then it's doughy and earthy.You can certainly get some German doppelbock notes mixed with the Belgian signature yeasts, but it feels unbalanced and somehow hides the good parts, resulting in an almost bland tasting experience. (1,003 characters)

"Expired" best before date bottle into a snifter. Gorgeous head, not too creamy but it sticks around fo a while before dissipating. The beer itself is a nice amber-hued brown, very clear. Carmel and esters on the nose, with dried fruit coming into play when it hits your palate. Clean tasting, although I wish it had a bit more body to it. Very drinkable and refreshing, with good flavour to boot! (397 characters)

A: pours a clear garnet/ruby color with a thick three finger beige head that lasts for quite some time before breaking down.

S: Some dark fruits, cherries, caramels and yeast.

T: fruity, raisins and figs followed by sweet malts. The yeast is there too. Alcohol is buried.

M: medium carbonation and light/thin body

O: seems to be a bit of a lightweight BSDA. Not as rich and flavorful as others and the smell and mouth feel are also less than most I have had. On the positive side, it is an easy to drink beer, the alcohol is masked well, and it looks good. (597 characters)

Bottle 3 of 6 of the Belgians six pack from LCBO. Served fairly cold into an oversized wine glass.

Appearance - Dark, dark brown liquid spilled into the glass and yielded 1.5 fingers of off-white head. Garnet colored when held up to the light. Decent head retention and some spidery lacing around the glass.Beer is dark enough and opaque enough that no guess can be made at carbonation level.

Smell - Cherries, brown sugar, caramel, molasses, dark fruits namely figs. A little bit of that Belgian yeast smell too. Just the slightest shade of earthiness in the form of peat.

Taste - Slightly bitter kind of like dark bitter chocolate. Fruits are not as up front and in the spotlight on the tastebuds as they were in the nose. That peat undercurrent detected on the nose shows up a bit more here which combined with the bitterness, is reminiscent of a black licorice. Also trace coffee bean flavor.

Overall - While complex the peat undercurrent kind of threw me off on this one and didn't enjoy as much as others in the style. Looks like I'm a sucker for sweeter Belgian Dark Ales. (1,210 characters)

A-This is a pretty good-looking beer. It is dark brown, nearly black, and topped by a dense two-finger khaki head. The head has good retention and leaves some lacing behind.

S-The smell is not very strong for a BSDA. There is a bit of milk chocolate, some dark bread, and a bit of vague, hoppy bitterness.

T-The taste is slightly more impressive than the smell with a hint of dark, dried fruit and some milky chocolate. There is also a little bitterness towards the finish, but all-in-all, this brew is kind of boring.

M-The beer is light to medium weight for the style with light to moderate carbonation.

O-Once you get past the looks, which are pretty solid, there is not much happening with this "Bok." The smell and flavors are uninspiring and the feel is strangely light. On the positive side, the alcohol is well-hidden. Also, the orb-type glass and stand are kind of fun to play with. (966 characters)

The beer poured out clear, dark-brown. It smells like a lot of Belgian beers, with the sweetness of the Belgian yeasts. It has a slight toastedness to it, but nothing that stands out too much. It taste similar to the smell; you get the initial taste of most Belgian-beers, but then the toastedness comes through and is very balanced and drinkable.

Poured into a chalice out of a 11.2oz glass. Obtained this through a Van Steenberge gift pack back in December 2012.

Pours a dank, plum-dark looking beer with brownish hues circling the glass. Some light goes through it, but it definitely is nearly opaque overall. There's plenty of carbonation all around, alongside a fluffy two-finger large head that coats the top of the glass as the yeast drifts in. The head settles down, but a ring with lots of large bubbles and yeasty residue remains atop. Lacing is excellent to say the very least, and overall it looks pretty delectable, if not slightly lacking viscosity.

The aroma contains various classic BSDA flavors all around, ranging from dark fruits, but interestingly enough there's a malty backbone that highly resembles German doppelbocks. This being a Belgian "bok" beer, I'm honestly not surprised there. Plums, dark cherries, raisins, lightly scented clove, rosemary... And then, soon after, these phenols are followed by juicy, caramelized malty flavors that are known in bock beers. Some pepper and herbal stinging sensations follow, but it's subtle. Doesn't smell too boozy overall. Quite good.

The flavor is not quite as lively as the smell, but it still holds itself pretty solidly. The first sip is filled with a creamy, juicy texture of more plums and raisins, as well as figs, but soon afterwards is followed by a malty flavor that mutes the yeasty flavors, in spite of providing a rich texture. The finish ends pretty smoothly, without any distractions from the alcohol, but it is overtly yeasty, and unbalanced especially in giving some off grainy notes. Slightly watery towards the finish. The flavors meld decently well, but I'm wondering if I should have had this fresher - the hop characteristics seem muted. It's not a chore to drink, but it's not super astonishing.

Van Steenberge are particularly known in my experience for their yeast strains and dry hop wizardry. The pleasant, juicy yeasty properties are here, but it's lacking in substance and feels like a strange hybrid between a doppelbock and a BSPA rather than something more balanced. Not bad by any means, but I'd probably not return to this one as readily as their other beers. (2,217 characters)

A 330ml bottle with a BB of March 2013, so it's just out of date. Picked up ages ago in Lidl as part of a Belgian selection box. The goat on the label reminds me of German bock bier, though I'd be surprised if this is similar.

Poured into a Delirium chalice. Bottle conditioned. A dark, hazy reddish-brown colour with plentiful carbonation. Forms a large head of creamy beige foam with excellent retention; this slowly subsides to a thick surface layer. Aroma of rich malt with notes of fruity yeast esters, raisins, caramel, a mild nuttiness, faint grain and a hint of brown sugar. Slightly sweet, with a warming whiff of booze in the background.

Tastes of sweet, fruity malt with a yeasty character and a mild finish. Notes of caramel malt, fruity yeast esters, subtle nuttiness, mild brown sugar and faint clove. Slightly sweet and quite dry. No hops to speak of, and the flavour doesn't linger. A light yeastiness upon swallowing, followed by a twinge of alcohol. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with decent body and prickly carbonation that mellows out after a while. An aftertaste of dry, fruity yeast and caramel malt.

A decent brew that goes down nicely. Looks great, and the aroma is well-rounded. The flavour is somewhat less interesting - it lacks depth and seems to hollow out after the first few seconds. The caramel malt and yeasty notes are pretty average. Body is OK. Overall, a drinkable beer but nothing special. Worth sampling if you stumble across it but no need to seek it out. (1,501 characters)

T - Taste follows the nose, with pumpelnickel rye grains forward. Not as sweet as expected or the nose would indicate; in fact, it's not really sweet at all. Belgian yeasts add a sour cherry fruity character. The whole thing doesnt come together very well, as the tastes are a little jarring. Astringent, coppery finish. Man, this thing is grainy.

M - Thin body with stinging carbonation. Definitely over carbonated.

O - This is a Belgian Strong Dark ale trying to be a Bock, and it succeeds at being neither. Strange flavor combinations, excessive graniness, and a poor mouthfeel made this a struggle. Very disappointing. (860 characters)

This beer had a good bite on the front, and a yeast yet malty finish. Leute has a great balanced feel on the tongue as well almost velvet like. When poured into a glass it had a nice almond colored head.

All in all the best beer out of the belgium sample thus far. Not a bad beer to drink. (290 characters)

11.2oz bottle served in my Leute Bok stirrup glass. Pours a deep mahogany hue with a thick, dense, four inch, rocky, tan-colored head that eventually settles into a consistent 1/8th inch skim. Sheets of lacing are revealed during the tasting. Nose expresses prunes and belgian yeast, but is fairly subdued. Taste is a bit more watered down than suggested by the nose and there is also a slightly metallic character in the background. Mouthfeel is light-medium in body (but closer to light), with a pleasant, even carbonation and a slight acidity. All and all, a pretty lackluster BSDA. Not something I need to revisit. (618 characters)

Overall: This is definitely not a strong drink by any means, but I would strongly recommend to someone that is just getting into beers or who has a long night of drinking. A delicious casual drink. (735 characters)

Poured from a 33cl bottle into a pint glass. This pours a reddish brown tea color slightly hazy with a mid sized tan / off white head which has a good retention. The smells are of dark fruit and malts. The feel is medium. The taste is good but light, a little dark fruit, and malts. (282 characters)

A – I tell ya, these Belgians and their carbonation. Crimson-brown body with a lot of sediment in there, somewhat translucent. The head is just a towering light beige with super tightly knit bubbles that leaves chunks of lacing strewn across the top of the glass. Not sure how I feel about the sediment, but that aside, so far so good.

S – The smell is very interesting. Fruity and spicy with cherries, plums, a slight ginger/cinnamon, and it has a tartness to it as well that is very pleasant. It has a sugary malt character to it as well.

T – Unfortunately I’m not really overcome with joy upon sipping this. Entirely unfortunate as the appearance and nose caused me to believe I might just be in for something special here. It still tastes rather good but it is slightly off, slightly bland. For what it’s worth it’s entirely enjoyable but I just felt like it was going to be great. As far as flavor goes, you get the fruit here as well, but it is very dialed back and softer/more crisp. It is delightfully drinkable, but it really just lacks a defining element so that the taste is somewhat “blah”—muddled as it were, and muted. It has a very slight sour element to it (which is actually one of it’s redeeming factors) but it is overall just kind of bready. I think the operative word here is drinkable, and that it has in spades, but in the flavor department it is not a rockstar.

M – The mouthfeel is outstanding, I will grant it that. Just the right amount of carbonation, and if it had more flavor the effect the carbonation and medium-light body would have produced a symphony of lusciousness that would delight all who drink it. But even the mouthfeel is a little lackluster in the face of such wanting flavor.

O – A gorgeous beer, a great nose, above average taste, great mouthfeel. I like this beer, it is very good. But it is not wonderful, nor great, nor inspiring. It is definitely worth a try, and I might even buy it again, but it really is not spectacular. (2,002 characters)